The Czech parliament's lower house called on the government on Thursday to ignore EU rules on labelling goods from Israeli settlements, joining Hungary in breaking ranks over the divisive regulations.

The Czech Assembly said new EU guidelines which require the labelling of exports from Israeli settlements in the West Bank were "motivated by a political positioning versus the State of Israel". The vote reflected a long and strong trade and diplomatic relationship between Israel and the Czech Republic, particularly since its emergence from communist rule in 1989.